Fishing is an essential means of survival in Red Dead Redemption 2, and Perch isn’t just an easy-to-catch fish in the real world. Perch is one of the easiest fish to catch in Red Dead Redemption 2, as long as you know where to look.
Finding fish is an integral part of the many Survivalist challenges in Red Dead Redemption 2. While there is plenty of other fish to be found, you can save time by cooking small Perch readily available. But just because the fish is readily available doesn’t mean they float up to the surface, asking to be caught! You still need to be at the right location and use the bait that small Perch prefers the most.
Even if you’re not ready to eat the flaky fish, you can put Perch up for sale and make money off your fishing skills in Red Dead Redemption 2.
We’ve put together the ultimate guide to finding and cooking Perch in Red Dead Redemption 2. We’ve included some fail-proof locations where Perch are found in abundance, so you’re guaranteed to get a catch or two.
Where to find Perch in Red Dead Redemption 2
You’ll generally find Perch more commonly in the northern regions of the Red Dead Redemption 2 map.
Here are all the locations that players have found success in when looking for Perch:
Ambarino territory
Ambarino is the highest elevated region in the game, and you’ll generally find Perch in these territories. It’s not a surprise that Perch is readily available here since Ambarino is modelled after real-life Colorado and Wyoming.
Roanoke and Roanoke Ridge
This constituent region of New Hanover territory is particularly abundant with Perch. While you may not find the Legendary Perch over here, you’ll also have plenty of luck with Bluegill, Bullhead Catfish, Chain Pickerel, Lake Sturgeon, and Sockeye Salmon. You’re not likely to go hungry here, but look out for Murfree Brood, a vicious gang known to be found in the area.
Cattail Pond
Cattail Pond is one particular lake in the Ambarino territory, in the Grizzlies West region. While you’re likely to get lucky with Perch, this lagoon is also an excellent place for hunting.
You can often see Moose around the banks drinking water, as well as the Legendary Bighorn Ram. Be wary of a Grizzly Bear spawning near you, and it will likely be feasting on a deer carcass as you fish your dinner!
Dakota River
Dakota River is another location where you’ll likely find plenty of Perch, along with other fish. Dakota River amasses quite a bit of the location, passing through Ambarino territory.
While the Dakota River is the longest in the Red Dead Redemption 2 map, there are few spots where Perch is particularly abundant. Try to locate the spot where the in-game text ‘Dakota River’ is written on the map. You should be standing at prime Perch territory if you position yourself opposite this text.
Elysian Pool
If regular Perch won’t do, head to the Elysian Pool to catch the Legendary Perch. Legendary Perch is a different variety of Perch that’s much bigger and could look orange instead of yellow.
You’ll have to fish along the northern regions of this toxic pool contaminated with poisonous runoff. This is where the Legendary Perch is most commonly found. Don’t eat it, though – it’s most likely toxic or poisonous, and it’s only worth collecting.
How to Catch Perch in Red Dead Redemption 2
Now that you know where to look for Perch in Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s time to reel ‘er in. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when trying to catch this flaky fish, so it’s a good idea to go prepared.
- Perch is easiest to catch when it’s sunny outside. You’ll have the best luck catching Perch in the daytime, and we don’t suggest lurking around a pond when it’s dark or raining unless you like eating disappointment for dinner.
- The bait that works best for Perch is bread, but make sure you’re carrying enough bread bait if you plan to catch Perch. Just like real life, fishing in Red Dead Redemption 2 can take a bit of patience and a lot of bait, even if you’re in prime territory.
- Bread bait can be bought for $0.40 per lure in the General Store, but you can also find and loot bread bait if that’s more your style. You’ll also find cheese bait and other food baits, but it’s best to stick to bread bait for Perch. There have been cases of Perch hooking to live worm baits, but the success rate is much lower than bread bait, so why not stick to that?
- Bread bait typically won’t work with the Legendary Perch. You’ll have to purchase a unique lure if you plan to fish the Legendary Perch from Elysian Pool. This lure is called the Special Lake Lure and is way more expensive than bread bait. If you’re bent upon buying it, it’s for $20 at the Lagras Tackle Shop. You’ll find this shop in Lemoyne where an old lady runs it.
- Once you’ve attached the bait or lure to your fishing rod, you’ll have to cast it out into the lake or pond you’re at. Here’s how to do it: hold down L2/LT while your player casts the rod and press R2/RT to let go. The longer the gap between pressing L2/LT and R2/RT, the further away you cast the line.
- It’s very similar to fishing in real life, and you’ll have to wait (patiently) for the fish to bite. You’ll get an alert once the fish is biting at the line, and you can begin to reel it in. If you’re playing on a console, you’ll feel the vibration on your controller when the fish is biting! Naturally, it’s not every time you cast that a fish will take the bait. You might have to cast multiple times before fish begin to take the bait. If it’s taking too long, you might want to try at a different location or with different bait.
- Once a Perch has hooked on to the bite, press R2/RT and be prepared for a fight! Perch are known to be aggressive, and you can break your fishing rod in case you’re not careful. If your hooked-on perch starts fighting, the first thing you should do is stop reeling. Once you stop reeling, pull your fishing rod in the opposite direction to the lake. In this method, your fight with the Perch will likely be short-lived.
Catching the Legendary Perch
Catching the Legendary Perch calls for a much more legendary struggle. You’ll probably take a few times to reel the Legendary Perch in, and it’s also much tougher to get the fish to hook on completely. Prematurely pressing R2/RT can result in the fish getting away. You’ll want to tap the rod to catch the fish’s attention and move the bait.
Flicking the rod is another trick that takes extra practice when catching bigger fish. Your controller will continue to vibrate when the fish is putting up a fight, and you can control the rod and fish with the left analog. Manoeuvre it in the opposite direction in intervals to slowly but surely tire the big Legendary Perch out. After some time, the fish will get tired and submit to being reeled in.
How to Unlock Fishing in Red Dead Redemption 2
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that you’ll have to learn Fishing in Red Dead Redemption 2, the game where nothing is handed to you. Luckily, it’s not that tough to unlock this skill.
In Chapter 2 of the game, you’ll meet Abigail Rogers, who gives you a quest called ‘A Fisher of Men’. Here you’ll have to take John Marston’s son, Jack, and teach him how to fish. But it’s not just Jack that gets to learn how to fish. Roger Clark gets to learn how to fish for the first time too, and you’ll see an on-screen tutorial on to cast, lure, fight and reel a fish in.
After the quest is complete, the character will have a fishing rod automatically. If you don’t want to wait to complete the test, or you’re replaying the game, there’s another way to get the fishing rod. Go to a popular fishing location and knock it off the hands of an NPC. He won’t mind… not enough to do anything about it, anyhow.
Catching Legendary Perch
Catching Legendary variants of fish in Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the more exciting aspects of the game.
Unlocking Legendary Perch
To start hunting Legendary Perch, you need to go to the short pier along the northeast shoreline of Flat Iron Lake. Here you’ll come across a man called Jeremy Gill, who gives you the quest ‘Fisher of Fish’. In this quest, you’ll find a map with locations of every Legendary fish in the game.
Not a fan of reading maps? Here are the locations of all Legendary variants of fish in Red Dead Redemption 2:
- Steelhead Trout: Willard’s Rest
- Sockeye Salmon: Lake Isabella
- Redfin Pickerel: Stillwater Creek
- Smallmouth Bass: Lake Owanjila
- Rock Bass: Aurora Basin’s Pier
- Perch: Elysian Pool
- Muskie: Van Horn Trading Post
- Largemouth Bass: San Luis River
- Longnose Gar: Lagras
- Chain Pickerel: Dakota River
- Bluegill: Flat Iron Lake
- Lake Sturgeon: Saint-Denis Bridge
- Bullhead Catfish: Sisika Island
Wait for the Wave
Using the right lure will ensure that it’s easier to catch the Legendary Perch in Elysian Pool, even though you do need to wait for a few minutes. Watching the water is an easy way to tell when the Legendary fish is close to you. You’ll occasionally get a glance at the fish underneath the surface of the water, but that’s not a reliable method of telling where the fish is.
Look for a larger wave in the ripples of the water. Look for the moment for the wave comes to a still point. This point is usually where the legendary Perch is, and you’ll have a much higher success rate if you cast your fishing rod precisely at this point.
Temporarily Suspend Fish Fight
If you’re struggling with fighting legendary fish, press the right analogue stick to suspend the fish-fighting struggle temporarily. This can give you a few moments of respite and tire the fish out.
Wondering how to get Red Dead Redemption 2? Find out how you can get it on the Xbox Game Pass.
